KNHendry

SoniaReb, the public community college tuition does seem miraculously low, yes. The flip-side of that is that schools have long waiting lists and lottery systems to deal with having far too many students applying for the spots. I'd consider leaving California and paying more in tuition if it meant not having to wait a year to get into a program and/or not flailing trying to find a job, now with student debt, for 1-2 years. I want the experience as soon as I can get it and I'm interested in travel nursing, so moving around doesn't bother me. Eventually though, I'll want to settle; and California's nurses union and patient limit policies, plus just the politics and city vibe, plus the ocean, are all very appealing to me in 15-20 years' time. I'm trying to guess too much with a long-game, but I don't wanna get "stuck" in a place where it's hard to be myself. Grew up in South Carolina; done with that. Pangea, awesome to hear you made it in from Texas! ^.^ I'm definitely getting my prereqs in California, but Austin and Houston are on my list of possible aBSN programs to go for. Do you recommend where you graduated and worked, if you don't mind my asking? Thanks guys! :)

Hi everybody, I really appreciate any insight you might have. I'm trying to decide which is better in the long term: try to study in California and fight the uphill battle of prerequisites and aBSN waitlists, saturated job market, etc., OR go to a different state, get an aBSN and 1-2 years' experience as a nurse, and then try to come back to California. My concern about leaving CA and trying to come back is that CA hospitals might not see my degree as optimized for the environment and policies there. I feel like I'm in a half-decent situation: I have a 4.0 GPA from previous BA and Masters, feel confident I'll get 4.0 in my prereqs, don't have any debt right now, and can move anywhere. So given all that, and that I plan to log volunteer hours while doing my prereqs, I'm wondering if I'll be competitive enough to get in an aBSN program without waiting? This waiting list and lottery system is new to me - I'm originally from South Carolina (but can't go back there, nope, nope nope nope). I guess general questions that might help others, too, are: 1. If any schools in your area accept students by the points system, how "competitive" is enough to be accepted? ex. 3.7 GPA and 100 hours' volunteer experience, 4.0 and be the Second Coming...? 2. Do the nursing programs around you accept online prerequisites generally without a hitch, so long as you show the lab component and syllabi? 3. How helpful are local classes and clinicals to networking, in this job market? Do you know nurses that have landed a CA job from other states? If you did that, what were the challenges? 4. Do you know any small towns or suburbs that are less saturated - even needy - of nursing students? Thank you SO much for any insight. I'm kind of angsty because I actually have to make my way back to California - roadtrip! Was living there, *love* it there, but have left for a few months to take care of my suddenly sick dad in Carolina (he's okay now). So, I have to find another apartment and job and fight that battle, on top of starting nursing. If there's some Magic Unicorn compact with say...Chicago, or Nashville, or Austin, where California hospitals just love love love those nurse grads, I want to know :)